Description
Homemade Porcupine Meatballs bring nostalgic comfort straight from midwestern kitchens, blending ground beef and rice into delightful tender spheres. Hearty and satisfying, these classic morsels offer you a simple yet delicious meal that connects generations through warm, flavorful bites.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat Base:
- 1 pound (500 grams) ground beef (or pork/beef mix)
Grain and Vegetable Mix:
- ½ cup uncooked white rice
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
Binding and Seasoning:
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika (optional)
Sauce Components:
- 1 can (14 ounces/400 grams) crushed tomatoes
- 1 ½ cups beef or chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar (optional, to balance acidity)
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano or thyme
- ¼ teaspoon salt (to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Craft a hearty mixture by blending ground beef, rice, diced onion, minced garlic, beaten egg, and seasonings in a spacious mixing vessel. Use fingertips to incorporate ingredients gently without overworking the meat.
- Form uniform spherical morsels approximately golf ball-sized, positioning them carefully on a clean surface.
- Prepare a luxurious sauce base by whisking crushed tomatoes with savory stock, aromatic Worcestershire sauce, hint of sugar, dried oregano, and complementary seasonings in a wide cooking pan.
- Elevate sauce temperature until gentle bubbles emerge, creating a welcoming environment for the meat orbs.
- Nestle meatballs delicately into the simmering crimson liquid, ensuring each sphere receives a protective sauce coating.
- Reduce flame to minimal setting, cover the pan, and allow contents to meld together. Periodically rotate meatballs with a soft touch to prevent adherence to pan bottom.
- Monitor cooking progression for approximately 35-40 minutes, confirming rice interior reaches tender perfection and meat achieves complete doneness.
- Present these succulent meatballs atop creamy mashed potatoes, fluffy rice, or tender pasta. Optional verdant parsley garnish adds final flourish.
Notes
- Achieve Tender Texture by mixing meat ingredients gently to prevent dense, tough meatballs.
- Select Ground Beef with moderate fat content (80/20 ratio) for juicier, more flavorful results.
- Consider Gluten-Free Option by replacing regular rice with cauliflower rice for lower-carb alternative.
- Meal Prep Friendly recipe allows freezing uncooked meatballs for convenient future meals, storing up to 3 months in airtight container.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch, Appetizer
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg